Summary: For many months the ATF's "Project Gunrunner" initiative was under fire for poor management, exaggerated statistics, etc. Floundering to carry out an agenda that wasn't entirely covered by the law, stung by poor publicity and an Inspector General's report that excoriated their performance, it is alleged by ATF's own agents that the Phoenix office of ATF began a policy of "walking" semi-automatic rifles south of the border -- at first with a wink and a nod, later, according to one agent:

"(The agency was) not only looking the other way but actually facilitating trafficking, threatening and punishing agents who voiced objections, covering up trace information, the truth about the gun that killed BPA Terry, what I.C.E. knew, it goes on and on."

My own sources tell me that this was done at the direction of the "highest levels of Main Justice and the West Wing."

During this time, it is alleged by an experienced ATF street agent, that the ATF deliberately did not inform the Mexican authorities that this was going on:

"(REDACTED) former attache to Mexico is an honest and honorable guy. He was forcefully removed from Mexico w o warning in Nov in large part because he wouldn't sit silent on these matters. He will tell the truth if asked by competent authority. He retired Dec 31 because of all this."

Also during this time, gun stores along the border were calling ATF and reporting multiple sales, only to be told to allow the sales to go through, and in some cases, follow the purchasers out into the parking lot to get license numbers. The case of Carter's Country in Houston (see timeline below) is but one example. There are other firearm dealers who are willing to come forward and detail their similar experiences to the Congress if asked under oath. They are reluctant to do so without Congressional protection because their livelihoods are at the mercy of ATF regulation.

All of this, it is alleged, was done in order to boost the numbers of seized semi-automatic "assault weapons" in Mexico to justify continued, or expanded, Project Gunrunner funding.

On 15 December 2010, Border Patrol officer Brian Terry was killed with a semi-automatic rifle in the hands of a smuggler. It is alleged by ATF street agents that this weapon was one of the "walked" rifles. An FBI murder investigation is proceeding, as is an internal ATF investigation. In the opinion of some ATF agents, these investigations have been used by ATF management to extort silence from agents in the furtherance of a cover-up of the complicity of ATF and Justice Department senior management in the death of BPA Terry.

What is known is that an unknown but significant number of ATF agents with personal knowledge and documents of this scandal, which has been dubbed "Project Gunwalker" by blogger and Guns Magazine columnist David Codrea, are willing to tell their story to any Senator who asks them. At present, their careers, their liberty and perhaps even their lives are on the line. They need whistleblower status. They remain twisting in the wind, subject to all the considerable coercive forces that any administration under pressure of the exposure of its own lawbreaking can bring.

Yet to date no Senator has stepped forward to assist them.

Not one.

Not even, with the least excuse, my own Senator Jeff Sessions, former ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose staffers Stephen Miller and Sarah Haley, have been regularly apprised by both email and phone of this and other ATF scandals. To date, Senator Sessions has taken no action. He has, to all external evidence, shamefully looked the other way and left these brave agents in the lurch.

Mike Vanderboegh

Timeline on ATF "Project Gunwalker" scandal and the death of BP agent Terry.

"A major Justice Department program aimed at intercepting the flow of U.S. weapons to Mexico’s drug cartels is misfiring due to bureaucratic turf battles and a failure to share critical intelligence about illegal firearms purchases, according to an internal department report."

This story has followed on the heels of much disputation of ATF statistics used to justify Project Gunrunner. Contact David Codrea, of the National Gun Rights Examiner column for background. Email: dcodrea@hotmail.com.

12 December 2010: Washington Post runs an article based on leak from ATF claiming that Carter's Country gun store outlets in Houston area are guilty of straw-man sales. Storyline attacked the next day by celebrated Texas criminal defense attorney Dick Deguerin, representing Carter's Country, who says:

"Let me tell you something about Carter's Country. They have been co-operating with ATF from the get go," says attorney Dick Deguerin who represents Carter's Country owner, Bill Carter.

Deguerin says the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms asked Carter's Country to complete transactions, even when sales people strongly suspected the weapons were headed to Mexican drug gangs.

"They were told to go through with what they considered to be questionable sales. They were told to go through with sales of three or more assault rifles at the same time or five or more 9 millimeter guns at the same time or a young Hispanic male paying in cash. It's all profiling, but they went through with it," said Deguerin.

Word is that curios George Gillett the Phoenix ASAC stepped on it again. Allegedly he has approved more than 500 AR-15 type rifles from Tucson and Phoenix cases to be "walked" to Mexico. Appears that ATF may be one of the largest suppliers of assault rifles to the Mexican cartels! One of these rifles is rumored to have been linked to the recent killing of a Border Patrol Officer in Nogales, AZ.

29 December 2010 to 5 January 2011: We continue to get rumors from ATF agents and others that this story is correct. Among those who are hearing from ATF agents are David Codrea, myself and Len Savage, Georgia firearms designer and SOT manufacturer who has a federal court C.V. as an expert witness on firearms. Having previously incurred the wrath of ATF's Chief Counsel's Office by testifying against them in various court cases, Savage is himself the victim of what is called by the ATF an "economic Waco." Len's email is: lensavag@bellsouth.net. David Codrea runs stories both on his Examiner column and his blog, The War on Guns. David dubs this scandal "Project Gunwalker."

On 3 January, David runs a story entitled: "Media coverage of ATF corruption investigation developments nonexistent."

Now, to be careful, let's assume that this confirmation applies only to what would be knowledge to the ATF -- that the Phoenix SAC and ASAC were responsible for allowing the smuggling of semi-auto rifles into Mexico to boost the statistics to justify Operation Gunrunner. I do know that "mainstream" reporters are working on the mysterious circumstances of the death of Border Patrol officer Brian A. Terry and getting close to verifying the rumor posted on CleanUpATF.org that he was killed with one of the "walked" weapons.

If this story makes it to the cable news cycle, there is no possibility that ATF can avoid the antiseptic qualities of sunlight on all of their criminal acts. All credit should go to the agents of CUATF who broke this story and to David Codrea who has shoved the story along and into a wider audience.

7 January 2011: I report that "A long-time friend of mine . . . informs me that his sources tell him that the White House is now fully briefed on the "Walking Gun-gate" scandal and is now calling the shots. "They are in desperate need of a cover-up, but aren't competent enough to arrange one," he said with a laugh. "They don't know whether to shit or go blind."

I continue:

Among the things we know:

1. ATF’s Phoenix office allowed the guns to go across the border.

2. The ATF office in Mexico was denied permission to share this information with their Mexican counterparts. Believing this was wrong, they went over the heads of the Phoenix office and requested permission directly from headquarters in DC.

3. The higher-ups sided with the Phoenix decision to withhold the information from Mexican authorities.

As David asks: "That would make this an international law enforcement incident, would it not?"

Yes it does, and that is reported to be part of the White House dilemma.

In terms of proof that one of ATF "walking guns" was used to murder Brian Terry, it can be simply answered under oath by settling two questions:

1. What does ATF trace data show?

2. Were any prior traces ever run on this particular firearm, and what did they show?

I also report on 7 January that the CleanUpATF.org website was hacked overnight.

7 January 2011: Later that day, I post this story, based on an email I received from an ATF agent:

This just in on the Mexican end of what David Codrea has called "Project Gunwalker."

Just received this in over the electronic transom:

(REDACTED) former attache to Mexico is an honest and honorable guy. He was forcefully removed from Mexico w o warning in Nov in large part because he wouldn't sit silent on these matters. He will tell the truth if asked by competent authority. He retired Dec 31 because of all this.

OK, Senators and Congressmen. If you want to have a name to pursue in your investigation(s) you have only to contact me.

(Senator Sessions' office received this email, among many others on the same subject over the past months. So did his man on the Senate Judiciary Committee. We have the name of this man which is redacted but it is said he prefers to talk to Senator Sessions or other federal legislator rather than the media due to the on-going investigation. The FBI has opened a murder investigation of BPA Terry, and my info is that both Main Justice and ATF internal affairs are on this, but their traditional default position is to "investigate" in order to cover up.)

The risk that comes with me putting it out there is so great; I need to know that whomever is going to do the right things with it. It needs to stop - now. Your numbers are way too low and there's so much more: not only looking the other way but actually facilitating trafficking, threatening and punishing agents who voiced objections, covering up trace information, the truth about the gun that killed BPA Terry, what I.C.E. knew, it goes on and on. And I can prove it all. So you tell me - who do I talk to?

18 January 2011: Numerous people, including myself, spend most of the day contacting various Senators' offices, including those who had previously indicated that they would help us. By the end of the day, none have agreed to contact the courageous ATF agents who are risking so much. Most calls go to voicemail. None are returned.

I know it's easy to say from where I sit, but it seems that this can go one of two ways.

Either they lawyer up (or not) and come forward, or this matter is likely going to die.

Heck, it might die anyway. As I said, it's easy for me to talk when I'm not the one risking anything. I wouldn't blame these whistleblowers for remaining silent. Not one bit. I would consider them heroes for coming forward though.

Let's not fool ourselves though. No politician is going to touch this with a ten-foot pole.

to the texas Anon person, send your info to the office of lamar smith, john culberson, michael mc caul, ted poe, and others who you know will do something to stop this from happening. your rep my be a jerk but there are other texas reps out there who want to hear from anyone inside the state of texas. I know cuz im in dallas and call all the offices.

Send the info to the Chairman of both the House Judiciary, which is lamar smith, if im not mistaken, but also to the House Committee on homeland security.

Sounds a bit paranoid to me. They always have you people running in fear in order to control you don't they? The fact is the lax gun laws in Texas and Arizona are to blame. It makes it mighty convenient for people like Jan Brewer to spew their hatred of Mexicans when they help supply the guns that keep the cartels in business. Profiteering off gang warfare, a conservative theory of free enterprise. Anything for a buck huh?

The gun dealers were doing the right thing by reporting unusual gun sale requests to the ATF. But the ATF from orders above told them to let the sales go through. It was not due to lax gun laws in TX or AZ. Every one in the US should have the right to bear arms. Its in the Constitution. If guns are outlawed only the outlaws will have guns.

"Progress made under the shadow of the policeman's club is false progress."

I believe that liberty is the only genuinely valuable thing that men have invented, at least in the field of government, in a thousand years. I believe that it is better to be free than to be not free, even when the former is dangerous and the latter safe. I believe that the finest qualities of man can flourish only in free air – that progress made under the shadow of the policeman's club is false progress, and of no permanent value. I believe that any man who takes the liberty of another into his keeping is bound to become a tyrant, and that any man who yields up his liberty, in however slight the measure, is bound to become a slave. -- H.L. Mencken

On the efficacy of passive resistance in the face of the collectivist beast. . .

Had the Japanese got as far as India, Gandhi's theories of "passive resistance" would have floated down the Ganges River with his bayoneted, beheaded carcass. -- Mike Vanderboegh.

In the future . . .

When the histories are written, “National Rifle Association” will be cross-referenced with “Judenrat.” -- Mike Vanderboegh to Sebastian at "Snowflakes in Hell"

"Smash the bloody mirror."

If you find yourself through the looking glass, where the verities of the world you knew and loved no longer apply, there is only one thing to do. Knock the Red Queen on her ass, turn around, and smash the bloody mirror. -- Mike Vanderboegh

From Kurt Hoffman over at Armed and Safe.

"I believe that being despised by the despicable is as good as being admired by the admirable."

From long experience myself, I can only say, "You betcha."

"Only cowards dare cringe."

The fears of man are many. He fears the shadow of death and the closed doors of the future. He is afraid for his friends and for his sons and of the specter of tomorrow. All his life's journey he walks in the lonely corridors of his controlled fears, if he is a man. For only fools will strut, and only cowards dare cringe. -- James Warner Bellah, "Spanish Man's Grave" in Reveille, Curtis Publishing, 1947.

"We fight an enemy that never sleeps."

"As our enemies work bit by bit to deconstruct, we must work bit by bit to REconstruct. Be mindful where we should be. Set goals. We fight an enemy that never sleeps. We must learn to sleep less." -- Mike H. at What McAuliffe Said

"The Fate of Unborn Millions. . ."

"The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed, and they consigned to a State of Wretchedness from which no human efforts will probably deliver them. The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army-Our cruel and unrelenting Enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject submission; that is all we can expect-We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die." -- George Washington to his troops before the Battle of Long Island.

"We will not go gently . . ."

This is no small thing, to restore a republic after it has fallen into corruption. I have studied history for years and I cannot recall it ever happening. It may be that our task is impossible. Yet, if we do not try then how will we know it can't be done? And if we do not try, it most certainly won't be done. The Founders' Republic, and the larger war for western civilization, will be lost.

But I tell you this: We will not go gently into that bloody collectivist good night. Indeed, we will make with our defiance such a sound as ALL history from that day forward will be forced to note, even if they despise us in the writing of it.

And when we are gone, the scattered, free survivors hiding in the ruins of our once-great republic will sing of our deeds in forbidden songs, tending the flickering flame of individual liberty until it bursts forth again, as it must, generations later. We will live forever, like the Spartans at Thermopylae, in sacred memory.

-- Mike Vanderboegh, The Lessons of Mumbai:Death Cults, the "Socialism of Imbeciles" and Refusing to Submit, 1 December 2008

"A common language of resistance . . ."

"Colonial rebellions throughout the modern world have been acts of shared political imagination. Unless unhappy people develop the capacity to trust other unhappy people, protest remains a local affair easily silenced by traditional authority. Usually, however, a moment arrives when large numbers of men and women realize for the first time that they enjoy the support of strangers, ordinary people much like themselves who happen to live in distant places and whom under normal circumstances they would never meet. It is an intoxicating discovery. A common language of resistance suddenly opens to those who are most vulnerable to painful retribution the possibility of creating a new community. As the conviction of solidarity grows, parochial issues and aspirations merge imperceptibly with a compelling national agenda which only a short time before may have been the dream of only a few. For many Americans colonists this moment occurred late in the spring of 1774." -- T.H. Breen, The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence, Oxford University Press, 2004, p.1.